Macbook battery dies, so does computer

It used to be that when my Macbook was getting too low on battery it would put itself to sleep and if left for awhile, go into a sleep deep. Now it just dies and I have to plug it in and hit the power button for it to go on. What happened? Did Apple change the behavior with an update?

It used to be that when my Macbook was getting too low on battery it would put itself to sleep and if left for awhile, go into a sleep deep. Now it just dies and I have to plug it in and hit the power button for it to go on. What happened? Did Apple change the behavior with an update?

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Same problem here. I updated my harddisk (to a Seagte Momentur 5400.3, 160gb). Don't know if it's related to that, but whenever the battery runs low, the system just shuts off, without any warning, or sleep...

I have the same problem that if you press ok to the low battery warning it just turns off no more ten minutes of use before hand, however if im lucky enough to get the power in quick enough i can sometimes save it.

I have not changed my harddrive either and I do not think it is related to that. I also sometimes have an X symbol over my battery level indicator so I am thinking that this is perhaps a problem. I have scrolled through other posts of this nature and it seems to be a common problem. I'm going to try to get it swapped out for another battery today at the Apple store.

I have just started to experience this problem. I have a black MacBook and it used to ork fine. Now it now longer goes to sleep when on battery - just shuts off when the battery gets low. Must have been an update that did this.

I have not changed my harddrive either and I do not think it is related to that. I also sometimes have an X symbol over my battery level indicator so I am thinking that this is perhaps a problem. I have scrolled through other posts of this nature and it seems to be a common problem. I'm going to try to get it swapped out for another battery today at the Apple store.

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having an X over your battery symbol means the machine does not see your battery, that's the reason it shuts off instead of sleeping i guess.

I had that problem, and the repair center I took it to (not an Apple Store, btw, but a good third party dealer) decided it was the battery. It was reporting higher capacity than it actually had, so it was a pretty weak battery in the end, and that's why it was shutting off. When they replaced the battery, the problem went away. If you can get a store to replace your battery, it sure doesn't hurt (as long as you're not paying for it, which you shouldn't be). The software theory could also be true, as it could simply interpret the battery signal better.

Tried it with the new release, no changes. Switch off at perhaps 18% battery power. Will bring it to an apple center. The guy there doesn't think it's the battery. Will keep you up to date.

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I was wrong. For some reason, right after I applied the update, the Mac went to sleep instead of shutting off. However, following a reboot, things are the same and it again is shutting off with now warning. What a pain!!

Just wanted to give an update. My German dealer told me that it's not been the battery, but the logic board.... so he's put in a new one. Seems to be some late effect of the Sudden death effect perhaps? Not sure.

I just reset the PRAM and this seems to have fixed the problem in my case. The computer now goes to sleep when it runs out of power - right down to the last minute.

Resetting PRAM and NVRAM

Shut down the computer.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.

If PRAM is reset, you may need to verify your time zone, startup volume, and volume settings using System Preferences.

Just an update from my side. My Apple dealer in Germany replaced the logic board (one of the first MacBooks, so he thought it's the Sudden death problem). Seemed to have worked in his tests, but when I had it back yesterday, the game started again... sudden switch-offs whenever the battery went low (~20min to go).
I'll go to the Apple center here in London tonight, and ask for a new battery, my dealer suggested that.

My Macbook was shutting down with 20% battery power left - no notice - just turns off! I read the site of 1800 users with similiar problems http://www.macbookrandomshutdown.com/2006/12/06/rss-related-or-a-malfunctioning-battery/#comments and decided it was time to visit my local Apple Store. I told them my story, showed them the post and they gave me a new battery. Sure enough, that fixed the problem. Now the battery discharges completely and then the computer goes to sleep. Finally!!

Bottomline - if you are seeing this problem you may just have a battery problem.

Last Update... I've been to the Apple Center here in London, they gave me a new battery, and my MacBook goes to sleep again if on low battery... very happy about that.
I've only tested once... while calibrating.

My MacBook just started having a battery problem. It either shows an X or 0% on the battery indicator. The day before this happened, I watched a 2 hour movie on battery power and still had like 42% left on the charge when it was done. I took it to the local Apple store and they wanted to schedule me with a tech to look at it, wouldn't even grab another battery quick to verify anything.

My hard drive also died without warning a few months ago, rather than go through the headache of dealing with service I took the opportunity to upgrade it. Now it's just getting frustrating. No more Rev. A products for me.

My blackbook used to be fine- when it had about 13mins of battery left, it would go to sleep.

Over the last week or so, it has sponatneously turned off a couple of times, when there's been over 30mins battery time left. I don't get any warning at all. it literally just dies, and I have to plug it in to restart it, even thought it said 30 mins (sometimes more) battery left.

Thanks, Cortesi. Resetting the PRAM fixed mine. But I also had an earlier battery problem in which it would start shutting down my computer with 28 - 38% left -- no warning. I recalibrated my battery and that fixed that problem. (Google it.)

Quote

Shut down the computer.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.

Thanks, Cortesi. Resetting the PRAM fixed mine. But I also had an earlier battery problem in which it would start shutting down my computer with 28 - 38% left -- no warning. I recalibrated my battery and that fixed that problem. (Google it.)

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